CAMERAS
Nowadays there are a myriad of manufactures supplying
a divers range of CCTV products to the world. Prices
of such products can vary greatly which often leads
to great confusion for people looking to purchase
such equipment. However as the old adage says, you
get what you pay for! Many of our Phuket customers
often say that they want to record sharp facial images
and at the same time cover a large area for general
surveillance. This can be done, however it would require
an operator to control a PZT (pan, zoom and tilt camera)
in order to zoom up and obtain a clear facial shot
And at the same time zoom back out again see the overall
area. This is cost prohibitive for most, and is of
course reliant on a human being at the controls. The
best way to obtain clear facial shots is simply to
locate cameras in areas that have a limited area of
passage i.e. a hallway or doorway. At the same time
a camera positioned in this way is not going to have
a large viewing area, but you can’t have it all ways.
People must remember that generally speaking, CCTV
does have its limitations. You can’t expect Hollywood
style replication of images without spending a fortune
on very high-end equipment and lighting.
Saying that, there are some very decent cameras around
that offer high-resolution pictures often with infra-red
(night vision) capabilities. Again the amount available
here in Phuket seems endless. Different models offer
differing infrared operational distances with different
CCD chips and lenses with optional zoom and focus
capabilities. Therefore its always best to consult
with a specialist to find out which set up is best
for your specific needs.
DVR’s
Most cameras are linked to DVR’s (digital video recorders)
these are the devices that record what the camera
sees. This data is normally stored on a hard disk
so that it can be reviewed at a later date and used
for evidence. DVR’s come in different sizes 4/8/9/16
or 32 channels depending on the amount of cameras
to be used. Nearly all DVR units are network compatible
which allows users to view cameras over the internet
from anywhere in the world.
IP CAMERAS
IP Cameras are proving to more popular nowadays as
they can be used independently of a DVR unit and instead
can use an existing computers hardrive to record information
if required. Generally the picture quality when viewed
over the internet is of superior due to the compression
methods used. They also have the capability of viewing
multiple cameras from multiple locations in one computer
application. So for example we can have 2 cams in
our Bangkok office, 1 in the London office and 1 here
in Phuket and I can view them all simultaneously on
my PC’s monitoring program application. These are
great, however for people who are not to computer
savvy I wouldn’t recommend them. Instead you can now
have a plug and play version that works on the same
principle but without all the techy knowledge required.
(Port forwarding/ DYNDNS set up/ IP Configuration
ECT)
All in all CCTV is a great asset, firstly as a deterrent.
People are much less likely to commit any kind of
offence if they know that cameras are present. Also
it has been proved that efficiency in the workplace
is improved when cameras are present.
They are also a great asset when used in conjunction
with alarm systems. We had a case whereby one of our
customers here in Phuket had a stream of alarm activations.
It was only when we reviewed his CCTV that we could
clearly see the neighbor’s cat climbing into his kitchen
to get at the food scraps. He put up a barrier to
prevent the cat from entering and hence no more alarms
at 3 o’clock in the morning, but without the CCTV
we would never of known.
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